Insight, analysis & opinion from Joe Paduda
“Regular” economic theory doesn’t apply to health care in this country. After much debate, some of it acrimonious, I decided it’s time to lay out my case. Why? Well, over the next couple of years there’s going to be a … Continue reading The supply-side economics of health care
Read More...If the recent contretemps in the mass media and blog-o-sphere about provider quality measures, patient responsibility and cost issues are any indication, a lot of folks are thinking hard and talking loud about these issues. Here’s a synopsis of some … Continue reading Patient responsibility/costs/quality
Read More...from today’s WCRI conference Inpatient hospital costs in MI increased by 13.3% from 02/03 – 04/05. Why?
Read More...Medical tourism looks to be exploding, growing much faster than many (your author included) had expected. The latest figures indicate a half-million Americans sought care overseas last year. Much of the care is delivered in Canada and Mexico, but lots … Continue reading the flattening world of health care
Read More...United HealthCare’s bare-knuckle approach to contracting may cost it members. Employers in the San Francisco bay area are deciding to go with other health plans as UHC experiences ongoing difficulties in recruiting and retaining docs. One of UHC’s competitors is … Continue reading UHC’s Bay area battles
Read More...Payer-provider interactions are getting downright pugnacious. Perhaps a more accurate characterization is the big health plans and health care systems are raising pugnacity to new levels. Denver is the scene of one highly public row featuring United Healthcare and HCA’s … Continue reading Ugly ugly ugly
Read More...It’s happening. Actually, it has been happening for years, albeit not very often. Frustrated with increasing premiums and no real solutions from the health insurance industry, large employers are investing in direct contracts with health care providers to deliver health … Continue reading Direct contracts – the solution for a select few
Read More...In what appears to be straight out of alternative papers’ “News of the Weird” column, several private equity firms are looking to buy HCA and take it private. These are really smart people who make lots of money finding gold … Continue reading Why would anyone buy a hospital company?
Read More...Transparency. The basic requirements of consumer-directed health plans (CDHPs) are price transparency and outcomes data. The foundational concept underlying CDHPs is that consumers will ask how much services cost, and providers will be able to tell them. Oh were it … Continue reading Where’s the pricing transparency?
Read More...Assuaging concerns about quality, treatment standards, and outcomes is one of the biggest challenges facing off-shore medical facilities eager to extract a fraction of US health care dollars. That and figuring out how to make a Mumbai hospital look and … Continue reading Accrediting Indian hospitals
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